Book: Select illustrations from the book, "Life of Barnum"
1. The first illustration in this selection is titled "My Release from Imprisonment" and depicts P. T. Barnum as a young man (age 22) standing in a carriage with top hat raised, acknowledging the dense crowd of supporters and well-wishers as he leaves the jail in Danbury, Connecticut. In October of 1832 Barnum was jailed for sixty days after being charged with libel. At the time, Barnum was the owner, publisher, and editor of a weekly newspaper called The Herald of Freedom and Gospel Witness. During his imprisonment, he was still able to publish his paper. Upon his release from jail, a grand parade with musicians accompanied him back to his home in nearby Bethel, Connecticut.
2. The second illustration is titled "The American Museum" and features Barnum's American Museum on Broadway and Ann Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The building is front and center, with a number of horses and carriages going past the main entrance.
3. The third illustration is titled "The Author and Tom Thumb" and shows P.T. Barnum and a very young Charles S. Stratton (better known by his stage name, General Tom Thumb). The two are beside a fireplace in an elegant home. The boy is dressed in his Napoleon Bonaparte costume, and stands facing Barnum who is sitting in a chair, leaning towards him. The scene illustrates Barnum instructing Stratton in acting and stagecraft.
4. The fourth illustration is titled "Tom Thumb and the Poodle" and corresponds to a story told by Barnum about Queen Victoria's small dog and Charles S. Stratton. The dog tried to chase after the young boy as he bowed to the Queen while exiting, stepping backwards toward the door, as protocol dictated when leaving the Queen's presence. Stratton used his miniature walking stick to fend off the dog, reportedly causing the Queen to laugh at their antics.
5. The fifth illustration is titled "Put Me in Irons" and relates to a story Barnum writes regarding an argument with a British ship captain. The argument was about Barnum wishing to have a religious service conducted on the ship.
6. The sixth illustration is titled "Welcome to Jenny Lind" and shows the crowds at New York Harbor welcoming Lind to New York upon her arrival in September of 1850. The scene depicts the general excitement that surrounded her arrival, and the grand flowered arches decorated with American symbols. Lind is shown disembarking from a ship.
7. The seventh illustration is titled "The Customs of the Country" and depicts Barnum at a customs house in Germany, getting into an argument over paying a duty tax on the advertisements Barnum had with him.
8. The eighth illustration is titled "The Long of Short of it" and shows an associate of P. T. Barnum’s, a Mr. Fish, having to measure a giant in order to further discussions of signing the man to one of Barnum’s shows.
10. The tenth illustration is titled "Capturing White Whales" and shows a beach scene with men capturing one, and possibly a second, of the several Beluga whales that Barnum displayed at his American Museum. The scene is intended to show the great effort necessary to acquire a whale.
11. The eleventh illustration is titled "The Prince in the Museum" and portrays the visit of England's Prince of Wales to Barnum's American Museum. The visit took place in October of 1860. The Prince is shown looking at a wax tableau depicting The Last Supper.
12. The twelfth illustration is based on a photograph and is titled "The Fairy Wedding Group." It depicts from left to right: George Washington Morrison Nutt (Commodore Nutt), Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb), M. Lavinia Warren (Mrs. Gen. Tom Thumb), and Minnie Warren (Lavinia's sister) on the day of Charles' marriage to Lavinia, February 10, 1863. They are attired in their wedding clothes.
13. The thirteenth illustration is titled "The Great Unknown" and shows Barnum emerging from a train car. Barnum was a part of the lecture circuit, and this image portrays him traveling to one of his engagements.
14. The fourteenth illustration is titled "After the Fire" and shows the massive icicles that formed over the fire-damaged remains of Barnum's second American Museum located at 539-541 Broadway. It burned on a frigid night in March of 1868 due to a problem with the heating system. A fire engine is shown on the street along with a number of people looking at the devastation.